As the school year wraps up, it’s the perfect chance to give a big shoutout to the folks on the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Board.
These awesome volunteers have poured their hearts and souls (not to mention countless hours) into making sure our kids have an amazing educational experience.
They’ve been behind the scenes, working their magic at events, meetings, and everything in between.
So, why not show them a little love with some thoughtful gifts to thank them for all they’ve done for your school parent group?
Here are some thoughtful gift ideas for officers and committee chair leaders to help you say a huge thank you for all the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year.
Gifts for Relaxing
An acrylic tumbler is a great end of the year gift for PTO members that they’re sure to use all Summer long, on their back porch, enjoying some chill time on a porch with their favorite beverage.
Elevate a gift card to your local coffee shop by enclosing it in this You Do a Latte for Our School, Time to Treat Yourself gift card holder.
This set of coffee takeout cup gift card holders comes with many different sayings, so you can pick the one best suited to the recipient and fill it with a gift card for a coffee or tea shop.
I’ll bet a Thank You for Being Awesome insulated tumbler will come in very handy and will be appreciated by your fellow PTO board members.
Sleep headphones are a really lovely gift idea, especially if your PTO buddies enjoy listening to podcasts or audiobooks as they drift off to sleep.
Aromatherapy is one of my secret weapons for surviving PTO Land, and is a calming essential oil rollerball a considerate gift that will get used during stressful times or when they just want to chill out a bit.
Really encourage your PTO friend to take some time for self care with a steam eye mask…
or a lavender eye pillow.
Shower steamers are another way to give the gift of relaxation. This mix of scents seems especially lovely, no? BRB, adding it to my personal wish list right now.
Coloring is a popular relaxation method, so why not gift a brand new adult coloring book?
Ok, so this Live Laugh F*ck Off coloring book is a bit NSFW, but who needs prim and proper for a relaxing gift? We’ve all pretty much uttered these words during the school year, probably during an especially trying PTO time, so now put them in a wash of color.
The patterns featured in this Mindful Patterns coloring book are details and gorgeous!
Gifts for Readers
The next idea for a fantastic gift idea for your PTO board members, especially those that enjoy reading, is to gift a new book!
Here are some of my absolute favorites (yes I’m a sucker for a good rom com!)
I’ve loved just about everything written by Emily Henry and Beach Read is definitely no exception! This friends to enemies story is a delightful (and somewhat steamy, but definitely not scandalous) read.
I had a hard time narrowing down one book to share by Katherine Center since she is also one of my very favorite, must read authors. How to Walk Away is one of her older titles and a bit stylistically different from her newer books, which are lighter and don’t deal with something so serious. But the Scotsman main character helped break the tie with Hello Stranger to get the feature here.
So all of these books in this list I would actually suggest as audiobooks because I personally prefer to “read” by listening. My eyes are just so tired and so listening is relaxing.
But if you’ve never heard Julia Whelan narrate before, then prepare yourself for such a wonderful treat! Thank You for Listening is a fun and swoony story.
Ah, this book, Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan left me on pins and needles for her next title. I loved this story so much and will probably give it a re-read real soon because I adore the characters so much.
Looking for light hearted laughs wrapped in a mystery? Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders by Jesse Q. Sutanto delivers bucketsful. Perfect for Summertime reading!
Same with this Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. A little bit rom com, mystery, low key thriller and absurdity all rolled into one. Angela Dawe is a delightful narrator and it’s just plain fun. Guaranteed to take your mind off of real life for some low stakes escapism.
All of Falon Ballard’s books deserve to be featured in this list of recommended books, including her latest, Right on Cue. Another swoony rom com with a second chance love? I’m totally here for that and I’m betting so will your PTO buds.
One last book recommendation for a series that’s semi- PTO related? I started the first book in this series and was laughing so hard because you can tell the author, Laurie Gelman, definitely has been in the PTO trenches.
Along with a book, give them a gratitude bookmark to help them save their spot in the their new read.
Fun and Practical Gifts
Turing the page now to a different category of gift ideas, to gifts that are practical and fun!
A new notebook is a great gift idea for both returning and retiring board members, especially one that practically screams a PTO mantra.
There are a bunch of different journal style notebooks available, some gender specific like this I never dream I’d be a cool PTO mom, but here I am killing it.
And even options for the male PTO leaders too!
I love this last notebook option because it rings so true. PTO is the one volunteer job we work at harder than the one we get paid for!
How about a new pen to go along with the journal style notebooks? These pens each feature a lovely saying that show your appreciation and come in vibrant and fun colors too.
This spiral notebook is small enough to tuck into a small bag, but comes with both sticky notes, page markers and a pen too.
A new insulated tumbler is a great gift for anyone, and one inscribed with a thoughtful saying of appreciation is fantastic for any PTO board member.
If your school parent group has had an especially difficult year, give a nod to that fact with your gift idea. This Chaos Coordinator candle is a funny nod at that and your executive board member’s skills.
A new zippered pouch is a gift they’ll use to organize their PTO bag or another tote bag they use all the time.
These pop open cards with motivational sayings are a lovely addition to the zippered pouch, or tucked into any of the books featured above.
Same with these sticky note pads. Great little gift that’ll get used a bunch!
Over to you!
Wrapping up, picking out gifts for the PTO board members is really about giving them a high-five for their amazing work and finding that special something that’ll make them smile.
These ideas offer a bunch of really thoughtful ways to say thanks that hit all the right notes, whether they’re into practical stuff, a bit of pampering, or their new favorite read.
It’s all about making sure they know how much you appreciate the magic they bring to your school and giving them a bit of that joy back.
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